Apologies for some of the less in focus bits and whatnot. I was on a looooot of painkillers 😂 Overall though very happy with how this went on. If that one small issue with the collector hadn't come up it would have been a breeze. Also at the end of the video I'm actually standing in a hole, made it easier to make these videos.
That was a very good video! I have been considering different options to delete that bread box, and I think I'm going with the Delkavic after watching this. Thank you for a very informative, straight to the point video. I also hope your injury is improving. From a fellow Z900RS owner from Northeast Mississippi, U.S.A.!
Thanks!! Glad you liked it! :) I'm still very happy with it, it's seen a few mad rain storms now too, 2 track days and is holding up very well! My back is much much better now thanks!
I have steered away from full exhaust systems. I have a full Delkevic system on my Kawasaki GPz750 and it is a great system (if a bit too loud). But full exhaust systems are low on the priority list when I get bikes these days. I tend to focus on the suspension and things to make the bike more comfortable (younger me would be disgusted to hear me saying this). I was impressed with the support form Delkevic. I had an enquiry regarding the exhaust on my bike and they were very helpful.
That's fair. I mean they are largely unnecessary especially with newer bikes. The only time I'd do it is if it's a proven choke point on a bike I want to bring to the track, like in this case :) Plus I do hate bread boxes 😂 Suspension definitely is my number 1 big change for my last several bikes. Makes it so much more pleasant even for handling! I found them very responsive too. Very happy to buy stuff from them!
I also prioritized suspension - just a Nitron R3 shock for now, maybe the forks in the future. It made a huge difference in the handling and stopping the bike from wallowing in the corners with my 200 lb self. Now I'm doing the Delkevic and Ivan's tune too. Less about power (I really don't want or need more) and more about appearance (bread box) and taming the twitchy throttle a bit and smoother power delivery. I'm also going to step up to a 16T front sprocket for the same reason.
Thankfully the spring change alone was enough for me, it's not perfect but it works great even on track :) I was thinking of going up in gearing myself! I'll update if I do as well.
11:48 *mentions the bolt stripping on the way out of the exhaust box section* meanwhile I’m sat looking at the tap and die set I just picked up in Lidl “just incase I ever need it” 😂 Great video, I really enjoy watching diy on bikes with no fear of messing up my own.
Haha everyone should have a tap and die set 😂 I miss lidl at home, the ones here are muck in comparison. Thanks! Ah sure you'll always break stuff working on things, once you can fix it it's grand 😂
Thorough vid!! OC - yep I would decat (same rationale) and if I had a Z900RS I'd likely do the same mods as your good self. Great to have Toaster's help there. IMO the bike looks really, really good, Z900RS is still No 1 on my wish list, cheers, Andy.
Thanks! Wasn't sure how much I'd missed I wasn't near 100% recording that first bit! You should get one and do it :P Yeah she's a lifesaver at times, had to help me off the floor too 😂 Thank you, I absolutely love it :)
New channel merch, perhaps? A t-shirt with the gorilla head logo on front and "Hammer It In From The Back" on the rear? 🤣🤣🤣 Looks and sounds great. It should really come alive when you're thrashing it around the track!
The long bolt you said stripped on the way out was made that way for ease of assembly. As for the new bolt replacement yes it is only just long enough but 5mm longer would be better.
I did think it was very odd that it had stripped and I hadn't felt anything, either way stripped intentionally or not for assembly it wasn't usable. That's what I said? It barely is long enough. That said it has held up to road use and a track day now.
Thanks for the video. I'm about to install the Delkevic headers on mine this weekend if all goes according to plan. FWIW, just based on video sound comparisons (not the best method, but it's what I have), I actually prefer the Delkevic sound to the Akro.
You're more than welcome, I hope it proves useful! The delkevics have a lovely note to them, but I had the akro on there so it was free :D Plus it's a bit quieter from what I understand which makes early mornings easier if I ride it to work.
@TheGorillaBiker ah, I didn't even notice the can (I was only about 3 minutes in). I am keeping the stock end can on mine and just replacing the headers and bread box section with the Delkevic. I hope it isn't too much louder. I also want to stay on good terms with my neighborhood. Unrelated - I dig the background music selection. I'm all about the retrowave synth nostalgia music these days.
@newenglandscrambler2262 oh nah you're good then! I thought you meant my end can which was a stock akro piece, it's not very loud at all with the headers only and breadbox delete :)
I just put some delkevic headers on my z900 and i was surprised that the delkevic head pipes are smaller than the oem head pipes. I guess thats how they can say it doesnt need a tune .
The stock head pipes on most modern bikes are actually double walled also, so the internal diameter is very likely the same, if the delkevic ones are even wider. I personally wouldn't delete a breadbox and not get a tune.
In my humble opinion I think the header might look cool with the discoloration. Also looks like the lighting and quality of the video shows the nice fit/finish details of the bike in general compared to others I have watched on the Z900RS. Enjoy!
I personally like it myself, but some people hate it for some reason. Thanks, but my lighting is honestly shocking :D I just don't want to spend money on it!
Hi, great video. Very helpful as I'm considering the same headers for my 50th Anniversary model. Interesting that you quote prices in dollars as Delkevic are made in the UK. Did you order from the USA , was it better value / lower import duty than directly from the UK? I'm also in Ireland, Co Cork
Without throwing it on a dyno it'd be hard to say, you could run a few 100 miles and pull your plugs for a look but the risk of running lean is high as they're lean from factory anyway. Personally I would get a tune.
Great video, as usual. I'm sorely tempted by the improvement in sound and looks but am concerned about the increase in noise. I am not a noisy/obnoxious bike (truck or car) fan. Before and after vids don't reveal the full picture. Can you? Thanks!
Thanks!! It's genuinely not very loud at all, my wife hates loud bikes and says it's fine going down the road. I would honestly think my Vstrom is worse. I like a nice tone but not just loud loud. I'll try record a better sound clip :)
It looks good, for an exhaust that is. Damn good presentation and review too, thank you. I'm after getting a Delkevic system for me GSX400, they don't make one but the GS550 headers are the right diameter so adapt improvise overcome. Here I am supposed to be boarding the loft but watch The Gorilla Biker instead. The wife's out so won't know.
Haha they can only look so fancy eh! Thank you, glad you liked it :) Ah yeah you should be able to finagle it to fit, worst case get a exhaust shop to make you up a small link pipe or whatever if you need it. Hahahah sorry for the distraction :P
Toaster to the rescue again! If the powers that be want us to use CATs then perhaps they should lobby racing to make CATs compulsory. If WSBK or MotoGP had to use CATs then you can bet the technology would change and make CATS half the size and weight. . . . My current exhaust is a one piece all the way through. It is unbelievably rusty and so must be very thick cast iron or something because it should be full of holes by now. As I am not racing anymore saving weight and making noise are irrelevant to me. I doubt I would ever change a system on a road bike. 🤔 Small point, could you have put the silencer bracket the other side, put washers on to move it away from the swingarm? I worry that the lateral forces on the track are far greater than you with put through it on the road?!?! I don't pay premium prices for anything just because it is "branded". If it has a bloody great label on it they should be paying us to display the advert! A good video. Bike looks the business. 👍
It's handy having the garage off the house I can just cry for help :D Agreed, the fact the stock exhaust is a 5kg lump is insane to me. I also really hate how they look :D That bike of yours always just sounds more and more like it was mad to last. Needs fettling sure but solid. Oh I'm a sucker for a nice exhaust, I have and will probably always change them, this one I did only change as it was a restriction for the tune, and they bike felt like it had waaaaay more in it on the track, on the road it was grand as it was. I tried, it really didn't want to come out that far, the camera always makes gaps look smaller too, it's plenty of clearance really. I might try bend it out again now it's all settled and update you! Me neither, the flow on the Akropovic system is apparently ever so slightly better at the top end but the Delkevic is slightly better mid range so I'm happy with the trade off. And yes, someone please pay me for advertising exhausts :D I can buy more bikes then :D Thanks :)
Apologies for some of the less in focus bits and whatnot. I was on a looooot of painkillers 😂
Overall though very happy with how this went on. If that one small issue with the collector hadn't come up it would have been a breeze.
Also at the end of the video I'm actually standing in a hole, made it easier to make these videos.
O2 Sensor - Mark it and count the turns when removing. Then you know how many twists to add when you put it back on.
Good advice, the eyeball and guess method has always worked for me so I'll stick with it :D
That was a very good video! I have been considering different options to delete that bread box, and I think I'm going with the Delkavic after watching this. Thank you for a very informative, straight to the point video. I also hope your injury is improving. From a fellow Z900RS owner from Northeast Mississippi, U.S.A.!
Thanks!! Glad you liked it! :) I'm still very happy with it, it's seen a few mad rain storms now too, 2 track days and is holding up very well! My back is much much better now thanks!
I have steered away from full exhaust systems. I have a full Delkevic system on my Kawasaki GPz750 and it is a great system (if a bit too loud). But full exhaust systems are low on the priority list when I get bikes these days. I tend to focus on the suspension and things to make the bike more comfortable (younger me would be disgusted to hear me saying this).
I was impressed with the support form Delkevic. I had an enquiry regarding the exhaust on my bike and they were very helpful.
That's fair. I mean they are largely unnecessary especially with newer bikes. The only time I'd do it is if it's a proven choke point on a bike I want to bring to the track, like in this case :) Plus I do hate bread boxes 😂
Suspension definitely is my number 1 big change for my last several bikes. Makes it so much more pleasant even for handling!
I found them very responsive too. Very happy to buy stuff from them!
I also prioritized suspension - just a Nitron R3 shock for now, maybe the forks in the future. It made a huge difference in the handling and stopping the bike from wallowing in the corners with my 200 lb self. Now I'm doing the Delkevic and Ivan's tune too. Less about power (I really don't want or need more) and more about appearance (bread box) and taming the twitchy throttle a bit and smoother power delivery. I'm also going to step up to a 16T front sprocket for the same reason.
Thankfully the spring change alone was enough for me, it's not perfect but it works great even on track :)
I was thinking of going up in gearing myself! I'll update if I do as well.
11:48 *mentions the bolt stripping on the way out of the exhaust box section* meanwhile I’m sat looking at the tap and die set I just picked up in Lidl “just incase I ever need it” 😂
Great video, I really enjoy watching diy on bikes with no fear of messing up my own.
Haha everyone should have a tap and die set 😂 I miss lidl at home, the ones here are muck in comparison.
Thanks! Ah sure you'll always break stuff working on things, once you can fix it it's grand 😂
Thorough vid!! OC - yep I would decat (same rationale) and if I had a Z900RS I'd likely do the same mods as your good self. Great to have Toaster's help there. IMO the bike looks really, really good, Z900RS is still No 1 on my wish list, cheers, Andy.
Thanks! Wasn't sure how much I'd missed I wasn't near 100% recording that first bit!
You should get one and do it :P
Yeah she's a lifesaver at times, had to help me off the floor too 😂 Thank you, I absolutely love it :)
New channel merch, perhaps? A t-shirt with the gorilla head logo on front and "Hammer It In From The Back" on the rear? 🤣🤣🤣 Looks and sounds great. It should really come alive when you're thrashing it around the track!
Hahahahaha get the OF symbol on there too and really confuse people 😂😂😂
I can't wait to try it :)
Did you use any sealant, paste or gaskets between the link pipe and headers, or can? Or are they ok without? Thanks!!
Just used the supplied header gaskets and no leaks so far. I have paste if I need it if it ever becomes an issue!
The long bolt you said stripped on the way out was made that way for ease of assembly. As for the new bolt replacement yes it is only just long enough but 5mm longer would be better.
I did think it was very odd that it had stripped and I hadn't felt anything, either way stripped intentionally or not for assembly it wasn't usable. That's what I said? It barely is long enough. That said it has held up to road use and a track day now.
Thanks for the video. I'm about to install the Delkevic headers on mine this weekend if all goes according to plan. FWIW, just based on video sound comparisons (not the best method, but it's what I have), I actually prefer the Delkevic sound to the Akro.
You're more than welcome, I hope it proves useful! The delkevics have a lovely note to them, but I had the akro on there so it was free :D Plus it's a bit quieter from what I understand which makes early mornings easier if I ride it to work.
@TheGorillaBiker ah, I didn't even notice the can (I was only about 3 minutes in). I am keeping the stock end can on mine and just replacing the headers and bread box section with the Delkevic. I hope it isn't too much louder. I also want to stay on good terms with my neighborhood.
Unrelated - I dig the background music selection. I'm all about the retrowave synth nostalgia music these days.
@newenglandscrambler2262 oh nah you're good then! I thought you meant my end can which was a stock akro piece, it's not very loud at all with the headers only and breadbox delete :)
Im thinking about getting a delkevic full exhaust for my z9 cafe..thanks for the video!
You are very welcome, I hope you like it :)
I just put some delkevic headers on my z900 and i was surprised that the delkevic head pipes are smaller than the oem head pipes. I guess thats how they can say it doesnt need a tune .
The stock head pipes on most modern bikes are actually double walled also, so the internal diameter is very likely the same, if the delkevic ones are even wider. I personally wouldn't delete a breadbox and not get a tune.
In my humble opinion I think the header might look cool with the discoloration. Also looks like the lighting and quality of the video shows the nice fit/finish details of the bike in general compared to others I have watched on the Z900RS. Enjoy!
I personally like it myself, but some people hate it for some reason. Thanks, but my lighting is honestly shocking :D I just don't want to spend money on it!
Hi, great video. Very helpful as I'm considering the same headers for my 50th Anniversary model. Interesting that you quote prices in dollars as Delkevic are made in the UK. Did you order from the USA , was it better value / lower import duty than directly from the UK? I'm also in Ireland, Co Cork
Glad it was helpful! I live in America now, have done for a year and a half or so, and I ordered them from their US branch :)
Apologies, assumed you were still in Ireland from your bio. Thanks and safe riding fella 🏍👍😊
Hi, do i need a tune if i am satisfied with how well its running with delkevic headers? (i have an 2022)
Without throwing it on a dyno it'd be hard to say, you could run a few 100 miles and pull your plugs for a look but the risk of running lean is high as they're lean from factory anyway. Personally I would get a tune.
@@TheGorillaBiker Thank you sir.
No problem! :)
Great video! Do you know if it fits with the center stand?
Thanks! I will check later today and come back to you as I have one.
Nice video. Well done and relaxed.
Thanks!
Great video, as usual. I'm sorely tempted by the improvement in sound and looks but am concerned about the increase in noise. I am not a noisy/obnoxious bike (truck or car) fan. Before and after vids don't reveal the full picture. Can you? Thanks!
Thanks!! It's genuinely not very loud at all, my wife hates loud bikes and says it's fine going down the road. I would honestly think my Vstrom is worse. I like a nice tone but not just loud loud. I'll try record a better sound clip :)
It looks good, for an exhaust that is. Damn good presentation and review too, thank you.
I'm after getting a Delkevic system for me GSX400, they don't make one but the GS550 headers are the right diameter so adapt improvise overcome.
Here I am supposed to be boarding the loft but watch The Gorilla Biker instead. The wife's out so won't know.
Haha they can only look so fancy eh! Thank you, glad you liked it :)
Ah yeah you should be able to finagle it to fit, worst case get a exhaust shop to make you up a small link pipe or whatever if you need it.
Hahahah sorry for the distraction :P
So shiney!
Shiny and light and lovely sounding :P
Everyone talks about haw crappy these headers are, I disagree I think they look like quality. Can you do a long term update/review on them Thanks!
For the price they have so far been very impressive. Once I have them long term I will!
🏍️ 🦍
Toaster to the rescue again! If the powers that be want us to use CATs then perhaps they should lobby racing to make CATs compulsory. If WSBK or MotoGP had to use CATs then you can bet the technology would change and make CATS half the size and weight. . . . My current exhaust is a one piece all the way through. It is unbelievably rusty and so must be very thick cast iron or something because it should be full of holes by now. As I am not racing anymore saving weight and making noise are irrelevant to me. I doubt I would ever change a system on a road bike. 🤔 Small point, could you have put the silencer bracket the other side, put washers on to move it away from the swingarm? I worry that the lateral forces on the track are far greater than you with put through it on the road?!?! I don't pay premium prices for anything just because it is "branded". If it has a bloody great label on it they should be paying us to display the advert! A good video. Bike looks the business. 👍
It's handy having the garage off the house I can just cry for help :D Agreed, the fact the stock exhaust is a 5kg lump is insane to me. I also really hate how they look :D That bike of yours always just sounds more and more like it was mad to last. Needs fettling sure but solid.
Oh I'm a sucker for a nice exhaust, I have and will probably always change them, this one I did only change as it was a restriction for the tune, and they bike felt like it had waaaaay more in it on the track, on the road it was grand as it was.
I tried, it really didn't want to come out that far, the camera always makes gaps look smaller too, it's plenty of clearance really. I might try bend it out again now it's all settled and update you!
Me neither, the flow on the Akropovic system is apparently ever so slightly better at the top end but the Delkevic is slightly better mid range so I'm happy with the trade off. And yes, someone please pay me for advertising exhausts :D I can buy more bikes then :D
Thanks :)
And you don't need to apologise for the effects of being injured so stop it.
I don't need to, but I want to :P
Why not turn on the bike????? Bahhhh!
I did turn it on at the end of the video.